motorsport manufacturing Victory, money—and lives—depend on the quality of these motorcycle parts


What started as just making parts for Grothus Racing has grown into Sentry Industries now building complete race-ready rolling chassis—frame, front and rear wheels, handlebars, carbon fi ber bodies and other parts—for other teams that just have to bolt on their own engines. Some of Sentry’s more complex components are those for its throttle assemblies (pictured in upper right of photo). The shop is one of few able to machine the challenging parts and do so cost effectively.


Shop’s Machining Abilities Smoke the Competition


S


entry Industries (Rock Island, IL) manufactures parts that will hit speeds of up to 200 mph (322 km/h) and travel one-eighth of a mile (0.2 km) in only four seconds. The shop specializes in high-perfor- mance components and assemblies primarily for the pro- modifi ed motorcycle drag racing industry, in addition to its other general contract machining and prototyping work. Motorcycle drag racing teams modify their bikes any way possible to hit the highest speeds and make the shortest run times. The only rules are that the bike has to weigh at least 625 lb (281 kg) with the rider and the wheelbase must be kept to a minimum specifi ed length.


Also, engine displacement may not exceed 1800 cc.


However, most racing teams will modify their engines and add nitrous. So when all is said and done, a standard factory 1100-cc motorcycle engine that originally generated 82 hp (61 kW) will crank out a whopping 500 hp (373 kW). In one race weekend, the typical drag bike does three qualifying runs, then three or four rounds of the actual elimination racing to get to the fi nals. The parts produced by Sentry have to be of the highest quality. If just one part on the bike fails, the results can not only abruptly end the whole season for a drag racing team, but also put its rider’s safety in serious jeopardy.


67 — Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing 2015


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